Sunshine
by Hollyberries and Vanilla beans
Summary: When two, broken lives collide with each other from opposite sides of the wire mesh, kennel fence of a city pound, they teach a bystander that love is about giving everything you have, even when the people on the sidelines tell you that there isn't any hope left.
1. Chapter 1

"He's here again."

Shannon looked up from the adoption papers she had just sorted. "Again?" Bill nodded before slipping backwards out of the office, leaving the door open just a tiny crack. Shannon sighed and ran her hands through her hair as she rose from her chair and headed towards the dog wing of the animal rescue center.

She slide her card through the scanner outside the double doors that led to the dogs and waited until the light blinked green before pulling the handle back and entering the long hallway ahead of her. She kept her eyes straight forward as she passed kennel after kennel of barking dogs.

He was positioned at the end of the hall at one of the very last wire pens, crouched down, resting on the balls of his feet through his worn converse sneakers. His arms folded in his lap, dark sunglasses resting atop his head and nestled firmly in his dark hair, knees showing through his ripped jeans, his dark jacket hanging loosely over the back of his shoulders. Watching. Shannon knew exactly who he was looking at.

Almost two weeks ago now, there had been a dog fighting ring bust, just outside of the city. Police confiscated nearly 156 dogs off of the property. Animal rights groups, news reporters, anyone who was anyone all commented on what a great success the 'rescue' had been. Out of 156 of the dogs that were removed from the property, nearly 68 had to be euthanized on site due to their aggressive behavior towards humans. _6__8._

Several of the dogs had made their way here, to Ethen Community Humane Society. All of them pit bulls. It was then that Shannon met a small, brindle colored, female, American Pit Bull Terrier. And she fell in love.

There wasn't anything particularly special looking about the sturdy female when she was first brought in. Her tail was _just _off from being perfectly straight. Her ears weren't docked, but they were covered in nicks and scratches that gave them a fragile, delicate look, almost as if they could rip apart with the slightest ripple of wind. Her body was covered in scars. The more prominent ones located on her shoulders and legs. Her eyes were a strange mix of chocolatey colored brown and steel gray, like they couldn't decide which color they wanted to be so they ended up mixing the two together.

But when she was in the sun, she _shone_. Brilliant blacks rippled through shimmering, rolling shades of gold and bronze. She was one of the most beautiful dogs Shannon had ever seen. The first time she had ever let her run in the fenced in yard outback, she come up with a name for her almost immediately. _Sunshine_.

And she loved her.

"Hey." The man glanced up from the cage, not looking very surprised at all to see someone standing there. "Hey." Shannon tilted her head to the side and moved closer until she was able to look into the kennel. At the small dog that cowered lowly in the far back corner of the cramped space.

The silence between the two was heavy, despite the many dogs still barking around them and the quivering pit bull that sat in the cage before them. Shannon sighed. "How many times have you come to see her so far, Allen?" He continued to watch Sunshine. "I dunno, five, six, I lost count." The dogs around them started to calm, leaving behind the smothering silence.

Sunshine rose hesitantly, swiveling her ears to test the quiet that was now falling around her. She padded over to the door softly. Allen rested his hand in between the door and the rest of the front of the kennel. Sunshine stopped and watched him. He waited.

She reached forward, almost delicately with her muzzle, and rested her head against his hand. He smiled and let his fingers curl gently around her face. Sunshine wagged her tail softly. _Back and forth. Back and forth. _

He leaned in and let his forehead touch the metal. She tilted her head back and licked his chin through the wire mesh. He grinned and leaned in closer, whispering something to her that only she could hear. Her tail wagged faster. _Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. _

Shannon shifted her weight from foot to foot and looked away uncomfortably. She felt like she was intruding on a personal moment. She watched the labrador sleeping in the next kennel over for a few minutes.

Allen's whispering grew louder and suddenly it sounded... broken. Shannon looked back at him and immediately noticed the tears running down his face.

"You know then?" His tears continued to run but he never took his eyes off the dog. He whispered, "Can't you test her again?" She smiled sadly, feeling herself to be on the verge of tears as well. "Allen, she failed the food aggression test, the stress related aggression test, and the dog aggression test. She's dangerous. I know it hurts, but the only thing we can do to make her life better is to put her down." He blinked the tears out of his eyes furiously as his head snapped around to glare at you. "If someone _worked_ with her she could get better!"

Shannon shook her head slowly, "We don't have time to work with all of them, Al. And even if someone did want to work with her, we can't risk it. The liability is just to much. If we got sued because she attacked someone..." His glare deepened "Is that all you care about? Money?" Shannon felt several tears trace their way down her cheek. Her voice came out thickly. "Not matter how much we want to, we just can't save all of them. I'm sorry, it hurts me too. Say goodbye Al, the vet's gonna come euthanize her in the morning." Her chest hurt as she walked out of the dog wing and returned to her desk.

She wiped her face hurriedly to try and erase the proof of her sadness and heartache.

It didn't work.


	2. Chapter 2

The call came at four in the morning.

"Shannon, somebody broke into the shelter." After a 45 minute drive to work, Shannon met Bill at the front door. There was a police cruiser sitting outside the entrance with it's lights on

When the officer turned away to write his report, Shannon caught Bill's attention."What happened?" He shook his head. "I told you, somebody broke int the clinic this morning. The cameras didn't catch them and the only notable damage is to the locks." She hesitated, "Anyone missing?"

Bill looked at the ground and didn't answer. Shannon pushed past him, nearly running down the hallway to the dog wing. The door was already open.

Sprinting down the aisle, she didn't bother looking at the dogs that barked as she passed. It didn't matter, she knew who was gone. Out of breath, she slowed when she came to the very last kennel. Sunshine's kennel. Sunshine's empty kennel.

The padlock was broken but the door was shut. Taped to the metal was a note on a lined, yellow piece of office paper. Shannon ripped it off and began to read.

_Dear Shannon, or whoever might be reading this note,_

_I'm not sorry. Not in the slightest bit. I know you might come after me to try __and __get Sunshine back__. Don't bother. You won't find us. You won't find her. __And even if you do find us, I'__ll __never give her up. Not for anything in the world. __Don't worry __about it __though, I'm gonna work with her. __She's not dangerous, and I'm gonna prove it. She deserves a second chance. It'll be worth it, I promise. Well, goodbye I guess. -A_

Shannon crumpled the note in her hand and took several deep breaths_. _After letting out a shuddering laugh, she sank to the floor, not knowing if she should be relieved that Sunshine was safe, or scared out of her mind that that crazy idiot was going to get himself killed.

Bill slipped into the dog wing and approached her slowly, gently he placed a hand on her shoulder. "The police officer wants to know if they need to do a search for this guy and put out a warrant for his arrest..." Shannon thought about it for a moment.

She rose steadily and started off down the hall. Bill jogged after her, still waiting for an answer. Shannon ushered him out into the lobby and turned to glance down the aisle way. She took a deep breath. "No. nothing important is missing. Let's let it drop." She flicked the light off and the sound of the heavy metal door echoed through the room as it was closed once again.

-The story as it rests-

Shannon had watched the news religiously for the first few months after Sunshine was gone, fully expecting some kind of 'man mauled to death by dog' story to appear on one of the many news channels. It never came.

Last month, on a day where Shannon was not even supposed to be at work, a six year old Boarder Collie/Labrador mix had been dropped off at the shelter by an elderly couple who no longer wanted her. Shannon adopted her almost immediately. The dog's charisma and happiness were contagious and a bond had been formed instantaneously. Her name was Lucy.

On one particular sunny day, long after the life changing encounter with the dog named Sunshine, Shannon found herself lacing up her hiking boots and pulling Lucy's exercise leash from the coat rack. All the while, Lucy ran ecstatic circles around her. That leash meant one thing. They were headed to the park.

There was a large recreational area, just outside of town, where many people walked and enjoyed picnics. It was an open, airy field with scattered trees and a creek running across it. The perfect place for dog lovers to go and spend time with their best friends.

That day was spent as many of their days were. Jogging together, Shannon sitting on the bench while she threw sticks and a squeaky pink ball that Lucy brought with her every time. Enjoying the company of other people and dogs around them and the company of each other.

Shannon rose from the bench, sighing, and picked up the ball Lucy had abandoned by her feet after she decided the stream was a great place to explore and cool off. "Lucy! Let's go!" The dog's head whipped around and she came to a sliding halt at her owner's feet in a matter of seconds. Shannon laughed and fastened the leash to Lucy's collar once again. Lucy's tail beat softly against the ground as Shannon stroked her head. "Good girl Luce. Good girl..." Together, they walked back towards the front entrance of the park.

Just as they had stepped through the gateway, something caught the corner of Shannon's eye. A brilliant flash of gold and black. _**Impossible.**_

Running across the field, side by side with a Siberian Husky, was Sunshine. Tattered ears flopping in the wind, tail held slightly off to the side, muscles flexing and arching as she raced full speed... right into the arms of a young man with dark hair, red eyes, ripped jeans, and black sunglasses. Never had she seen two beings look happier than those two. Not before, and certainly not since.

A blonde man stepped up beside Allen and firmly scratched the husky's head as Al cradled a wiggling Sunshine in his arms. They exchanged a few words, laughing as they did, before they started to head off deeper into the park. As Allen stood, he and Shannon locked eyes and the World seemed to stop. They both froze.

Suddenly, his face morphed into a grin and he patted Sunshine affectionately. He winked. And then he was off, jogging towards the trails after his blonde friend with his loyal dog at his heels. Shannon remained standing in place for another long moment after they had all disappeared into the woods.

She felt Lucy headbutt her leg and heard her whine sharply, eager to regain her master's attention. Shannon looked down at her dog as tears slowly fell from her eyes and streaked across her cheeks. Her genuine smile returned to her face in what seemed like the first time in forever. "Okay, darling. Let's go home."


End file.
